P.O. Box 8398
Weslaco, TX 78599
956-968-2102
IDEA Public Schools Student Named 2010 Gates Scholar
DONNA, TX (April 28, 2010) -- IDEA Public Schools student Amber Campa has been awarded a scholarship from the Gates Millennium Scholars Program (GMS).
The scholarship can be used at the college or university of Campa's choice and will cover tuition and other college expenses from her undergraduate freshman year through graduate school, according to a GMS media representative.
"I'm pretty excited about it because now the financial aspect is not an issue anymore, and now I can focus on where I want to attend," said Campa, who is a senior at IDEA College Preparatory Donna.
She is among the 1,000 students selected around the country to receive a 2010 GMS scholarship, which is administered by the United Negro College Fund. The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for outstanding minority students with significant financial need to reach their highest potential, according to the program's Web site, www.gmsp.org.
"I live with my grandparents, and when I found out about the scholarship, I went and told them," Campa, 18, said. "They are so proud of me, and in a way it was also sort of a relief because now they don't have to worry about the financing."
She said she is planning on studying civil engineering, and she is interested in attending Northwestern University, Boston University or Tufts University, all of which have already sent her acceptance letters.
Campa, who has been a student at IDEA since 5th grade, said being a student at IDEA Public Schools helped her earn the scholarship.
"Every day, our teachers stress the same motto: 'If you come to IDEA, you're going to go to college,'" she said. "I don't think I would have gotten as far as I have if I wasn't a student here."
Campa is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, Senior Committee, cheerleading, and has helped in Relay for Life. She volunteers her time at the Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco, at her church and Quinta Mazatlan.
For more information about IDEA Public Schools, visit
About IDEA Public Schools
IDEA Public Schools operates a system of tuition-free public charter schools with a laser-like focus on college readiness that begins in the primary years and continues throughout middle and high school, culminating in 100% of IDEA students attending a four-year college or university-. In 2009, IDEA College Preparatory Donna was named top-performing high school in the Rio Grande Valley, #3 high school in Texas, and #13 high school in the nation.
IDEA was also the recipient of the 2009 H-E-B Excellence in Education Award for Best Small School District in the state of Texas. IDEA achieves this through a high-quality, focused approach to teaching and learning that is derived from the rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) model, a unique and powerful school culture, a small school size, a partnership with parents, and a vision based on the core beliefs of High Expectations, Closing the Achievement Gap, 100% Everyday, Team and Family, Whatever It Takes, Sweating the Small Stuff, and No Excuses. IDEA currently operates twelve schools and has plans to launch and operate 22 schools by the year 2012. Visit www.ideapublicschools.org <http://www.ideapublicschools.org/>
for more information.
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